On Sunday 14th September, Ganesh Chaturthi began across Britain, marking ten days of festivities in honour of Ganesh, which conclude with Anant Chaturdashi and the visarjan (immersion) of murtis on 23rd September.
For British Hindus, the festival carries a modern challenge: UK law protects rivers such as the Thames from having solid materials deposited into them, so immersing a murti in a public waterway requires formal permission from the Environment Agency and, in London, the Port of London Authority.
Over two decades, communities have built solutions around this. Organised, permitted immersions now take place at sites including Putney and Richmond in London and the Jubilee River in Slough, which hosted its first officially sanctioned immersion in 2022 and drew over 100 families within two days. Many families also now use genuinely biodegradable clay murtis, allowing safe immersion at home in a garden pond, paddling pool or bathtub. London’s celebrations trace back to 2005, when the Vishwa Hindu Temple in Southall held the capital’s first organised Ganesh Chaturthi, with immersion at Putney Pier. Today, events such as Dollis Hill’s draw an estimated 10,000 attendees.
Celebrating in your area this year? Find your nearest permitted immersion site via your local council or temple before 23rd September.